Chiwuxing

Chapter Fourty-Six - Jin Duo's Advice for Insufficient Military Use, Feng Ru's Criticism

In the deep courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion, in the dream of a boudoir in spring.

The mist in early spring wets a delicate flower, and the bead moves to the edge of the petal little by little, and finally falls to the ground.

Ni Chengxin was sitting at the table, rubbing the letterhead in his hand, the early spring in the early morning was gloomy, and the air was still filled with air-conditioning.The woman's finger rested on a scribbled "marry" character on it, and did not move for a long time.

Eyelashes trembling, she put the letter into the box.When she turned her head sideways, her jade face was reflected in the bronze mirror, and the morning light reflected behind the window sill slightly distorted her face in the mirror.

The woman is tired and uncombed after waking up in the morning, her long hair is draped behind her, and her face is clean and pale like a girl's.

She stretched out her hands to gather the long hair at the back of her neck, and gently tied it up. A strand of black hair on the side was not caught, and slowly, slowly hung down.

In the Golden Luan Hall, the routine court meeting was held as usual.

"There is a book to play, and there is nothing to retreat."

One of the ministers on the right side stepped out and said solemnly: "The minister has his own foundation."

"Play on." Zong Zhengqiu said.

Jin Duo lowered his eyebrows and said: "Your Majesty, when I was appointed as the Privy Council envoy in the early years, I heard the previous envoy warn me: 'Nowadays, before political affairs, it is urgent to manage money, raise troops and prepare frontiers, and the treasury must be rich. Military personnel must pay attention to economy'. However, since the minister took over, there has been no significant improvement in this financial matter. As a result, in recent years, the loss of Yanman wars has increased, and the finances have gradually been unable to make ends meet. The military is the key to protecting the country. It is the minister's fault to be the first to suffer. The minister believes that it is necessary to solve the problem as soon as possible in order to ensure the safety of the front line, and to relieve the worries of the future."

Zong Zhengqiu's eye tails folded together, and folded together when he lowered his eyes. After hearing the words, he was silent for a moment, and then said: "This is not the first time that this military expenditure has been mentioned. Jin Qing will talk about it again today. I don't know if it is already there. He Liangce?"

"In my humble opinion, if we want to cure this problem, we still need to reform the system."

Ni Congwen was the first one on the left, keeping his expression on his face, and all the ministers had different ideas in their minds.

Jin Duo went on to say: "The profit of salt and iron wine is very high. The right to cast salt and iron is taken over, and the wine is monopolized, so as to seize the profits of merchants and strengthen the country."

Zong Zhengqiu asked, "What's your opinion, Zhu Aiqing?"

Feng Ru came out and said: "Your Majesty, I think that banning salt, iron, and wine are all competing for the interests of the people, and it is inevitable that the people will further worship 'going against righteousness and seeking profits'. Officials and businessmen are not the main task of governing the country. Such advances and withdrawals will surely ruin the folk customs of our Yandi."

"Then what is Master Feng's opinion?" Jin Duo asked back.

Feng Ru was not timid, and replied directly: "Although I have no solution, this is not feasible."

Jin Duo was disdainful of his civil servant's words, and said: "Since Mr. Feng has no solution, there is no need to say that it is not feasible. If the soldiers on the front line have no supplies, once the battle is defeated and the barbarian army invades, the consequences will be less important than the customs and wisdom of the people. Which one is more important, why don't Lord Feng weigh it himself?"

Feng Ru ignored the sarcasm in his tone, and said sternly: "It is not the border that defines the people, but the common people's knowledge. As an official in the court, Mr. Jin should not be suspicious of this matter."

Jin Duo pursed his lips, squeezed the flesh on his cheeks, and said, "I naturally agree, but since Mr. Feng doesn't have a solution for both, it is useless to rush to deny other people's plans."

The atmosphere in the court froze for a moment.

Seeing the dispute between the two, Zong Zhengqiu also felt sad, and asked again: "Do other lovers have any opinions?"

All the ministers below saw that this matter was related to military, political and financial disputes, and they all knew that there were serious partisan disputes. Jia Yun went to the front to fight again, and the outcome was unclear.Hearing these words, everyone looked at their noses, noses, and hearts, and stood still.

Another young courtier stood up on the left side, it was Yuan Libin, the servant of the household department, with a calm expression, he said: "I think what Master Feng said just now is true, and the previous court has learned from it, so I rashly took the profit of selling salt and wine. , It is inevitable that the interests of merchants will be infringed, although business has been suppressed for a long time, but this is when money is needed, and there is no need to do this directly to seize money."

Jin Duo retorted: "The former dynasty was destroyed by the lack of people's power, so that it was divided, but now the fight is about the flow of money, the relationship between the two is not very deep, and at this time the main fight is for military use, and there is no money for war, what will happen to the soldiers? "

All the courtiers below knew that Yuan Shilang was a wealthy businessman, and they benefited from this. At this time, it is understandable to speak out for his family in the court.But after all, Jin Duo is also a military and political leader, even if his reputation is dirty, his official rank is still at the top, so he dare not contradict him here.

Jin Duo stood straight in front of him, with a well-thought-out plan.Such an important matter was naturally reported to the court under the court discussion. Although His Majesty did not agree for a while, but seeing his delay and hesitation, he knew that there was a way for this matter.

Seeing the state of affairs of the ministers, Zong Zhengqiu said again: "What's the Prime Minister's opinion?"

Ni Congwen came out and said: "I think that military supplies are indeed urgent, but it is not appropriate to take back the management rights of Yantiejiu. At this time, we still need to discuss a more appropriate method to implement it."

"Prince," Zongzheng Qiu turned to Zongzheng Yi, the head of the minister on the right, and asked, "What do you think?"

Zong Zhengyi stepped forward, and said in a gentle tone, "My minister thinks that what Ni Xiang said is very true. The reform is not something that can be achieved overnight, and we should discuss it again, and we shouldn't decide things arbitrarily."

Zong Zhengqiu nodded and said for a long time: "Ni Qing is right. This is a big matter and needs to be discussed separately. If you have a good plan, you can report it in time."

"According to the order."

After coming down to court, Ni Congwen stepped out from the main hall, followed by Ni Chengzhi.

Feng Ru slowed down, met Ni Congwen, and said, "My lord."

"Bo Yong, are there any political affairs this afternoon?"

"Nothing," Feng Ru said, "What is your lord's business?"

Ni Congwen said: "I have an idea about what Jin Duo refers to today, and I can discuss it with you."

"it is good."

The three of them left the palace together and returned to the prime minister's mansion.

Ni Congwen invited Feng Ru into the discussion room and said, "Sit down first."

Feng Ru sat down as he said, and after hearing the news, several guests of the prime minister's mansion were also ordered to enter the door for discussion. Ni Congwen was in the Dongxiang position, and Ni Chengzhi was in the first place next to him. The concierge offered refreshments, and then closed the hall door.

A long-bearded doorman below said: "Master Xiang asked me to wait here today, but did you talk about the re-cultivation of the public land discussed a few days ago?"

"That's right," Ni Congwen said, "The national treasury's crisis is no longer a day or two. It was just the truce the year before last, which put this issue on hold for a long time. Jin Duo played again in the court today, and finally mentioned the countermeasures. Jin Duo I want the government to take back the right to salt, iron and wine, but Boyong has denied it, and I was just about to ask what you guys think."

Another guest next to him said: "There are many rich and powerful merchants in the imperial capital, and the government and businessmen are closely colluding. If these powers are taken from them, I am afraid that it will also damage the way of making profits for all the officials in the imperial court. This Jin Duo is really bold. .”

Ni Chengzhi said disdainfully: "The reputation of their eunuchs is not very good in the court, so what if they are a little bit worse? I think they have given up on reputation a long time ago, so they simply chose this one." most profitable strategy."

The long-bearded doorman said: "The eldest son is not entirely true. I think that Jin Duo has tried his best to pay for the army in the past few years. He has also made friends with Jia Yun. It must be that the army is really short of money. It's just that this searcher The line involved by Li is very wide, even Xiang Ye would not push this method."

"Heh," another younger disciple said, "It seems that this old eunuch is planning to pretend to be a hero who brags about the world."

"Your Majesty's attitude is still unclear. How do you know that Jin Duo didn't have the courage to speak up to the court because he had informed His Majesty in advance. Or maybe... His Majesty ordered it," Ni Congwen reminded, turning to On the side, he asked again: "What's Boyong's idea?"

Feng Ru listened roughly from the side, and in a daze, he replied: "Your official thinks that... the infringement of the interests of the wealthy businessman may not be entirely wrong. Now that Beijing and China have been at peace for a long time, and the eunuch party has corrupted the court atmosphere, it should have been gradually To rectify these extravagant and corrupt problems, from this point of view, this method is also reasonable..."

As soon as this remark came out, the following disciples looked at each other in blank dismay, with different expressions, and did not answer his words.

Ni Congwen said: "Let's not talk about it here, but I had an idea a few days ago about the use of Mi for the country. Let's hear what you think."

"Master, please tell me."

"The wealth of the rich can't be pried away, so we have to look for countermeasures. The current main source of finance for the imperial court still relies on the taxation of people and land. Naturally, the population cannot increase, but there is a hole in the land."

"To the east of Yandi is the settlement of Rong and Barbarians in the north. Due to the barriers of the mountains, although these foreign barbarians have surrendered to Dayan, most of the interior is still governed by the chiefs. It is at the junction of this area that mainly Rong Yi and our Yan people live together. Although the living conditions are not perfect, there is a lot of uncultivated land, and as more and more refugees gather here, the land here is gradually developed by private individuals."

"Originally, these self-cultivated fields were not under the jurisdiction of registration, but now that the country is short of financial resources, it is better to push the boat along the river and re-collect these self-cultivated fields as public lands, and order these farming people to pay rent before they can continue farming. Fund the treasury." Ni Congwen said.

The long-bearded doorman immediately said: "Tuntian is also under the authority of the Ministry of Industry where the eldest son is. This move can be carefully planned."

"That's right," Ni Chengzhi said, facing Ni Congwen, "I think we can set up another agency called the 'Public Land Office' to take charge of the collection of self-cultivated farmland. The northern frontier has been wild for a long time. If it is not governed, disaster will happen sooner or later. "

Ni Congwen said: "Yes."

Feng Ru listened for a long time, and then said: "If these cultivated fields are forcibly requisitioned, don't they also need to be paid to buy them?"

The doorman next to him turned his head and said: "Master Feng's words are wrong. Although these fields are not the arable land assigned by the imperial court, it is not in accordance with the rules to reclaim and cultivate them privately. It is reasonable to punish them at this time. Earning profits on public land will never make you unable to pay the rent.”

Feng Ru frowned: "But isn't this arguing with the people on the farmland? Most of the farmers on the border wasteland are refugees who have no support in the war. Cultivating barren fields is not the same as searching for people's fat? I'm afraid it's inappropriate... Inappropriate."

The long-bearded doorman said: "Of course not, Mr. Feng might as well think about it later, if the court does not take action now, after a long time, it will be neither the court nor the common people who will benefit, but those rich and wealthy businessmen. They have enough gold and silver to annex these lands and use them for other purposes. For these people, is it better to be tenant farmers of the imperial court, or to be the descendants of these wealthy families? "

Feng Ru was silent for a moment, and Ni Congwen said aside again: "I have been planning this move for a long time with a few people in the mansion, Boyong, think carefully about whether this method is a good one."

"Since your lord has already planned, why didn't the court reveal this method today?" Feng Ru said.

Ni Congwen said slowly: "After hearing Jin Duo discuss this matter today, I have another idea."

The long-bearded doorman stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Maybe I understand a little bit what Xiangye means."

"Come and listen."

He only heard him say: "Jin Duo mentioned this matter this time, and it coincided with Jia Yun's going to the frontier to fight. Why not take this opportunity to weaken Jin Duo's military and political power in one fell swoop."

"That's right," Ni Congwen said with a smile, "Go on."

The long-bearded doorman glanced at Feng Ru, and said in an unpredictable way: "Jin Duo usually acts cautiously, if you can't start from him, then you have to find a way to make him try his best, and let him be a target for everyone in the court to attack. "

"Then I ask Mr. Feng to seize this opportunity and introduce this method of farmland. At the same time, Jin Duo's countermeasure is also suggested to be implemented. When the results are revealed, there will be a difference between the two. On the one hand, Mr. Feng can sit down The fisherman, on the other hand, Jin Duo will naturally arouse a lot of anger, so we don't need to try to deal with it."

Feng Ru frowned, looked at Ni Congwen when he heard this, and paused when he caught his gaze again.Before he could say anything, Ni Congwen said sternly: "Bo Yong, you must know that the reason why you want to remedy the country's losses again is because of the continuous war in the past, and now that Dayan has been established for more than a hundred years, it must not be possible. Just like the founding of the country, rest and recuperate, and delegate power to the lower. You are right in what you say, but if the people's livelihood is not stable, how can you talk about the people's customs? This is why I did not directly object to Jin Duo's countermeasures. It's just the consequences. I am willing to bear it with all my strength, why not push the boat along the way and let him do it."

Feng Ru tilted his head slightly, he could already hear the meaning of promotion in his words, if he still argues for some reason at this time, he really doesn't know how to praise.He was in a daze for a moment just now, but what Fu Chen had expected when he came to find him in private was that Jin Duo would be targeted and provoked, but he didn't expect that Ni Congwen's plan would be one step ahead of Jiang Hua.After weighing left and right for a while, he said: "Then thank you for your kindness."

"Bo Yong, you are welcome," Ni Congwen said, "You and I have a friendship from the same family, and we should take care of each other. Besides, if the eunuchs had not suppressed the courtiers in the court a few years ago, with your literary talent today, why should you live under Shao Qian? "

Feng Ru felt a little complicated when he heard the words, and said: "It turns out that my lord already knew about Shao Qian's secret affair with eunuchs."

Ni Congwen said: "He is in a high position, but his behavior is indiscreet. It is inevitable that he will be eye-catching for no reason. If you do many injustices, you will kill yourself. You don't need to worry about him. The most urgent thing is to be the first to fulfill the teacher's last wish before he died, and then talk about other things."

Feng Ru nodded.

Ni Congwen looked at his face, and sighed: "Poor Zijie, who is young, has to deal with Jia Yun at the border. This coolie is indeed difficult..."

Except for Ni Chengzhi and Feng Ru, the rest of you here don't know the key points. They only know that Fu Chen, a rookie in the army, is a chess piece inserted by Ni Congwen in the army, and they are wondering why Ni Xiang suddenly mentioned this person.

"Okay," Feng Ru replied, "this matter will be done by the lower officials."

Ni Congwen said: "That's great, and you don't have to be stuck with Shangshu Sheng in the future."

Feng Ru responded, and then said: "It would be best if the courtiers can be clear."

The diners below were silent, and Ni Chengzhi saw the opportunity and said, "Meals will be ready for lunch in a while, Mr. Feng, do you want to stay for dinner?"

Hearing the words, Feng Ru knew that it meant to drive away the guests, so he got up, turned to Ni Congwen, and said, "Thank you, sir, for your kindness, I don't need lunch. I will draft a memorial for the matters discussed today, and if you have any questions about specific matters, please come and ask." "

"So let's make it like this first. If there are other arrangements and questions, we can discuss it later." Ni Congwen also got up, and all the guests stood up, "Let's go slowly."

Seeing Feng Ru opened the door and walked out, everyone sat back to their original places.

Ni Congwen took a sip of the teacup, and heard the long-bearded doorman ask: "Master Xiang, do you mean to mention Feng Ru?"

"Exactly." Ni Congwen put down his tea and said.

The doorman next to him asked: "Accordingly, there are people from us in the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Industry, so he is not missing. Judging by his pedantic personality, he may not be a suitable candidate."

The long-bearded disciple said: "Perhaps this is his uniqueness."

"Feng Rusheng is upright and straightforward, and his heart is most like that of his predecessors." Ni Congwen has a lot of meaning.

"It's at ease." The long-bearded disciple understood what he said and agreed.

Ni Congwen went on to say: "One more thing is that Feng Ru is in the same family as me, and he is under the official position of Shang Shuling Shao Qian. His every move has hints from His Majesty, isn't it also a signal to Jiang Hua by the way? What's more, the two of them don't know each other. It's been a long time, at this time, ordinary officials really can't do anything to get Jiang Hua."

The doorman next to him asked: "Earlier, Jiang Hua wanted to surrender, but Xiangye also secretly allowed him to do many things. Now he just greeted there, wouldn't it be all right?"

"Jiang Hua's hands are not very clean. Let him do many small things for the time being, and ask him for convenience first, but if he gets involved too deeply, he will cause trouble sooner or later." Ni Congwen shook his head, and said to Ni Chengzhi, " Zhi'er, your worry back then was indeed not unreasonable."

Ni Chengzhi knew what his father was worried about, so he comforted him and said: "Father don't have to worry too much about it. We are now holding his handle no matter what. When Jin and Jia are down, he will be the same man no matter how he is rectified. It's a snap."

The bearded doorman frowned and said, "Jiang Hua didn't hold power for a while, he would never be so easy. What's more, we are on guard against him, and he may not be completely willing to trust us."

Ni Congwen breathed out slowly, squinted his eyes, and said, "In short, before things make progress, don't be careless. The road still needs to be taken step by step. Rushing too quickly will only lead to worry and will not help you. But don't be afraid of Jiang. Hua Gan took the initiative to find trouble, he has passed that climate long ago, and now he has nothing to challenge him."

"What Xiangye said is true." The long-bearded doorman agreed.

Just at this time, the gatekeeper outside the room knocked on the door and reported: "Master, Captain Fu is here."

"Let him in."

All the people present were silent for a moment and looked towards the door, only to see that where the sun was shining, there was a person entering the door with a backlight, his body was covered with a golden halo, and at that moment, he seemed to be walking from the red sun.

"Benefactor."

Fu Chen ignored the whole room and walked straight to Ni Congwen's body.

Most of the people here have heard about it, but rarely see it publicly.After all, the spies in the military often do not tell others about private affairs, and they often have to avoid getting involved, and never deliberately inquire.

I can see that the young man is extremely tall, and he knows that he has martial arts at a glance, but he is not as strong and thick as a big man. The slim maroon martial robe is smart and smooth, which perfectly outlines the line from the shoulders of the young man to his waist and legs, as if he is waiting for orders at any time. The cheetah with hair, calm eyebrows and eyes is like a snow wolf dormant in a deep cave, and its unique temperament is beyond words.

"I don't know why Huan Zijie came here?" His voice was clear and cool.

"I know you have been busy with the military affairs these two days, and you didn't want to disturb each other at first, but after thinking about it for a long time, it is still suitable for you to do it." Ni Congwen looked at the young man's obedient face, and smiled, "This time I will let you Go to the Privy Council alone...to find something to come out."

Fu Chen glanced at Feng Ru calmly, and asked, "What is it?"

"The list of military expenditures in the past years in Jin Duo's hands."

"Understood," replied simply and neatly, "Is there any other order if you dare to ask?"

"This is the only one now," Ni Congwen added. "This thing has to be put back after use. Remember not to startle the snake."

"The entire army will set off tomorrow afternoon, and Zijie will be delivered by tomorrow morning at the latest," Fu Chen said, "If we calculate it this way, we will definitely not be able to send it back in time."

"I don't need to bother you about sending it back, I have an idea," Ni Congwen said, "Put your business first."

"Yes." Fu Chen lowered his brows and said, "If nothing else, Zi Jie will leave first."

"Ah."

After all, the young man left in a hurry, and disappeared without a trace.Leaving all the people in the room who were listening and listening, they couldn't help but look at each other speechlessly. The long-bearded doorman smiled and said: "This little captain is also a straightforward person. .”

Ni Congwen said with a smile: "Fu Zijie is good-natured, hard-working, and reliable in his work. It is indeed suitable."

It is indeed suitable for beheading swords and eagle dogs under the seat.

Everyone here understands the meaning of his words, recalls the demeanor of the young man, and sighs in his heart.